Good old days - विद्यार्थ्यांना तिकीट सवलत नाकारणारी बस ताब्यात

Read this news in Navaprabha, a Marathi Daily in Goa. 

"५० टक्के सवलतीत तिकीट आकारावे लागत असल्यामुळे विद्यार्थ्यांना प्रवेश नाकारणारी पणजी - फोंडा मार्गावरील जीए ०५ टी ६६४४ ही ज्योती नामक बस काल विद्यार्थ्यांनी पणजी बसस्थानकावर अडवून धरल्यानंतर वातावरण तंग बनले.

मिळालेल्या माहितीनुसार चालकाने रागाने बस विद्यार्थ्यांच्या अंगावरून नेण्याचाही प्रयत्न केला यावेळी प्रवाशांनी मात्र बघ्याची भूमिका घेतली होती. या प्रकाराबाबत वाहतूक संचालक अरुण देसाई यांना कळताच त्यांनी ताबडतोब अधिकार्‍यांचे एक पथक घटनास्थळी पाठवले व बस ताब्यात घेतली.

आज संबंधित मालक, चालक व वाहकाला वाहतूक अधिकार्‍यांनी पुढील कारवाईसंबंधी बोलावले आहे. दरम्यान, विद्यार्थ्यांशी व प्रवाशांशी उर्मटपणे वागणार्‍या बसेसवर कडक कारवाई करण्यात येणार असल्याचे वाहतूक संचालक अरुण देसाई यांनी दूरध्वनीवरून प्रतिक्रिया देताना सांगितले." 

To cut a long story short, students from Goa Engineering College, were refused entry to a bus going from Panjim to Ponda. The students protested and were threatened by the driver of the bus. The authorities confesticated the bus and action would be taken. The transport secretary Arun Deasi was looking into the matter.

It made my memories fresh. We used to take Jyoti to college every morning. It used to start at 8:15 in the morning and we used to be at Farmagudi circle by 9:15 AM. Taking Jyoti meant that we missed our first lecture, but because Jyoti was a big bus, they used to let students in. All students in Goa get 50% discount in bus fares. And most of the times its enforced without any identification proof. 

But running bused at the time students go to college is not a profitable exercise. So the conductor of the bus choose not to allow students get in. We have faced it many times. 

The incidents happening tell a lot about privatization. Since maximizing profits is the sole aim of a private enterprise, government's welfare objectives don't mean anything to the bus owner. All he is concerned is to charge more and more people and earn maximum profits. The state gains in the 50% discount as it has nothing to lose. And many a times the bus owners don't object much as the buses are never full. But the time between 8-10 between Panjim and Ponda is busy one. More so because of the Kundaim Industrial estate.

What is the optimal solution? Have good hostels at the college. That will discorage students going home everyday. 

One more note, students used to pay more than the full ticket to ride the State Owned Kadamba buses. And one more piece of information - Arun Desai's wife used to work in our college and she had arranged for a special Kadamba bus running from Ponda to Panjim. But it used to go only in the evening. Or it used to start too early from Panjim. I am not sure of that.